Fugitive
by ffreaderwriter
Summary: Chloe gets Clark to help out with a story. They get more than they bargained for. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, for those that have seen this show it's during the episode Get Foley. I stopped the episode at a certain point and am starting my story with a slightly different set of events.

If you haven't seen any of the show and have no clue about it, let me give a brief explanation about Jake and where my story starts at. Jake works at the NSA. Nannites (or small computers) were accidentally entered into his system and now he has enhanced senses and the ability to interface wirelessly with technology.

In the episode (and my story) Jake's memory was been wiped out and he has been led to believe he's an escaped Science Project. Hope that helps any confusion there might be.

Hope you enjoy the story.

Oh, yeah almost forgot. I don't own anything. I just write for fun.

"Diane, I need to talk. Can you meet me at the dinner?"

Moments later Jake hung up the phone and peered around the counter. He watched as she hurried off and then approached the door carefully. He focused on the door latch momentarily before hearing it click and forward to open it.

Jake began going through her stuff. Everyone he had met had an agenda so far, what was her? Milo had said she was trying to sell him something, but what was it? After a few minutes he found a folder, his eyes widened in shock at its contents.

The folder was all about him. It had his picture and all kinds of results of different thest that had been run on him. It was on NSA letterhead and it had Diane's signature on the bottom. She wasn't just any doctor. She had been his.

_They've sent her out her to try and get close to me so she can get me to go back._

He had to get out of there and fast. He quickly put everything back the way it was and headed out back the way he came in.

Diane returned from the diner worried. Jake wasn't there when she got there. She waited around for a few minutes wondering if maybe he was in the bathroom or something. _Oh, no! No! _Diane suddenly got the feeling she had just been setup. _He can't find that file! I was getting so close! It will only scare him more._

Jake went back to his apartment and gathered up the few things that he thought he might need. He thought back momentarily to Milo's offer, but something inside of him told him that it wasn't a good idea to get involved. It was the same something that had told him that DuMont was not his best friend.

He was about a block away when he turned back to glance at his apartment and saw a very worried Diane going into his complex. He turned back around and quickly walked away.

_She had genuinely seemed to care._ Jake thought back to the conversation he had with her at the diner the other night. She had said she left the bad HMO because of the way they were treating a certain patient. She even said they thought she had helped the patient escape. _She had to have been talking about me._ What if she really had tried to help? Curiousity got the better of him as he stopped and tuned in his hearing toward the apartment.

Diane ran up to Jake's door. "Jake! Jake!" Tears formed in her eyes as she pounded on the door. "Jake, please!" She had gone in her room and everything looked the same at first. But, then she saw Jake's folder sticking out slightly. _No! No!_

"Jake, please! I can explain!" She looked in the window and didn't see a single sign of life inside. The computer that had been there the day before was now gone. _He was gone._ She slid down the wall as tears flowed from her eyes. _What am I going to do now? _

Jake heard the anguish in her voice. He was in a way tempted to go back to her. He had felt safe with her. His survival instincts won out and he turned back and headed down the street again.

A month later……

Chloe paced across the empty room where she worked at the Planet. It was getting late and she was really getting worried, because Jimmy was supposed to have called her over an hour ago. She mentally beat herself up for getting him involved in another one of her stories.

It hadn't taken a lot of convincing to get him to do it. He normally just agreed to go along with whatever she was working on. The kiss also helped convince him. Her mind lingered on that moment and a smile couldn't help but form on her lips.

"_Focus!" _The logical part of her brain screamed out. _Jimmy is missing! Missing? _ She was already going worst case scenario. _"He's not missing…. He… he just hasn't called in yet." _the other half of her brain countered. Chloe stopped pacing momentarily. This was not going to help anybody. "Okay, I have got to find something out or I'm going to go crazy." Chloe pulled out her cell phone and dialed the very familiar number.

"Hi, Clark. I need some help." Chloe's next sentence was cut out by a whoosh of air. She was instantly face to face with her long time best friend.

"What's wrong?"

Chloe quickly gathered her composure. No matter how many times she saw him appear right in front of her out of thin air it was still sometimes mind boggling. "It's Jimmy."

At this Clark got a look on his face to say "What has he done now?"

"I sent him down to Charlie's. It's a bar on the corner of 14th and 21st street. I got a tip they might be doing some illegal fighting in the back of it. I sent Jimmy since I couldn't get in since it's a male only bar."

"And you think he got into trouble."

"Well, he was supposed to call me over an hour ago and I'm driving myself crazy worrying about him."

"I'm sure he's fine, the time has probably just gotten away from him." Clark tried to allay some of Chloe's anxiety. "I'll go over there and check to make sure that he's okay… alright?"

"Alright…. You're probably right and I'm just being paranoid." Clark started to turn away and Chloe quickly added before Clark literally disappeared. "Thanks."

Chloe got a smile in return before watching her friend vanish.


	2. Chapter 2

Jimmy heard the thud as his head impacted with the old, worn down brick wall. _Well, at least I'm going to enjoy Chloe nursing me back to health... that is if I live through this_ he thought as his body was again slammed against the wall. He thought he had been stealthy throughout the evening.

Granted, the bartender had looked at him warily when he asked for a beer before hesitantly serving him. Jimmy looked around and saw why the bartender was looking at him like he had three heads. He definitely looked younger than anyone in the room, not to mention his attire was completely different. Just about everyone in there had a sour expression on their face and several looked as if they could have him for lunch and not even blink.

Jimmy just sat and looked around for a few minutes occasionally taking a small sip of the beer. It tasted horrible and he really needed to keep his wits about him, but he was also trying not to stick out anymore than he already was. Then he heard someone enter the bar and turned to see who it was. To his surprise, the man who entered was unlike anyone else in there. He was dressed in what appeared to be an expensive looking suit. Jimmy watched him intently but tried to make it not seem noticeable. The man didn't come over to the bar; he just nodded at the bartender and walked through a door tucked away in the corner. Jimmy watched the bartender nod back and then go back to what he was doing.

Jimmy knew he had to get back there, but it seemed like the bartender was only going to let certain ones back there. He saw none of the other patrons heading in that direction. He would need a distraction. Just then two of the more inebriated men began to get agitated.

"You take that back right now!" one man yelled.

"What? You calling me a liar?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm doing."

The second man's face turned red as he slammed down his beer and quickly took a swing at the first man. His punched contacted squarely with the other man's jaw causing him to stagger backwards. After a moment he got his footing back and rammed into the second man knocking him on his back across the bar.

"Hey!" The bartender yelled at the two men, but they seemed oblivious and continued on with their feud. The bartender hurried over to try and straighten things out.

Jimmy quickly took the opportunity to slide into the mysterious back compartment of the bar. He was astonished by what he saw. This part of the building was completely different from the front. There was a raised platform in the middle of the room where two guys seemed to be trying to kill each other. He had been to a boxing match before and this was nothing like that. He looked around the room one section held several well dressed people all cheering on the fighters, some waving money around. Across the room from them were several men. He guessed they were the fighters, and possible contestants. They ranged in size and most of them looked like they were down on their luck. There was one or two among them that looked like they must have won a few fights and were being paid better.

He looked back to the ring. One guy was definitely winning this fight. The other guy was seemingly giving everything he had, but he didn't even seem to really phase the first guy. Jimmy marveled at the guy's strength and stamina. He wasn't really much if any bigger than him. How is he doing that?

Jimmy's eyes shifted slightly to the left as he seemed to feel someone's gaze on him. Jimmy eyes locked with a slender black man whose fierce gaze seemed to pierce right through him. The unknown man's gaze turned away from him for a moment as the bartender stuck his head through the door and glared at Jimmy.

Jimmy didn't even have time to react before he was being lifted up and forcefully taken out a back entrance.


	3. Chapter 3

Jake had just finished fighting for the night. As he stepped out into the semi-dark alleyway he put his hand up to his sore lip. When he drew his hand back he didn't see any blood. _Good, won't be too long before its completely healed again._

He glanced down the alleyway when he heard some noise and saw someone getting roughed up. On closer inspection, he saw it was one of the bouncers of the club. Jake was just about to turn away from the scene. It was better that he just not get involved. But, he noticed that someone seemed to suddenly appear at the street.

"_That's probably the guy's friend coming to check up on him", _part of his brain told him trying to get him to continue his previous course of action. But, something was bugging him about the suddenness of the friend's appearance. He stepped further back into the shadows to wait and see what happened.

The bouncer held onto Jimmy with one hand and had the other raised ready to strike. "Guess, I'm going to have to mess up that pretty face of yours!" Jimmy closed his eyes wincing at the oncoming attack.

Clark blurred forward grabbing the man's arm before he could strike. He knew something was wrong immediately. A burning sensation immediately started going through his hand. Clark tried to not show the shock but he knew his eyes grew larger as he had to let go of the man.

"You shouldn't have interfered." The man's voice was low and cold as he sneered at Clark. "Guess, I'm just going to have twice the fun tonight."

The man grabbed a hold of Clark's neck and gripped it tightly. The burning sensation intensified and the man's grip was so strong Clark had to gasp for breath. The man raised his other arm ready to strike his second victim of the night.

Clark didn't know how he could fight back, it seemed any contact he had with the man would just bring about more pain. Clark did the same as Jimmy had done earlier and closed his eyes awaiting the blow. He opened them a moment later still awaiting the blow to see another young man was holding on to his aggressor's arm preventing the strike.

"Leave me alone, Jake! This is none of your business." The man seemed to snarl at the newcomer. "I'm delivering a message for Mr. Synde, and you don't want to make him mad."

"The message has been delivered." Jake said calmly but forcefully. "Now, leave them alone." Jake began to apply more pressure to the man's arm hoping to get him to release before he broke it.

After what seemed like an eternity the man finally relented, letting Clark from his deadly grip. "I won't forget this."

Clark coughed and gasped for air as he silently thanked his rescuer. "You don't need to be in this part of town." Jake turned and headed into the shadows back down the alleyway.

"Ohhhh, man" Jimmy moaned as he picked himself up off the ground. "I think he might be right." His whole body felt sore, he even thought his teeth had been rattled.

"You okay?" Clark was shocked at the raspy sound of his voice. His throat felt like it was being stuck with a hundred needles at the same time.

"Yeah," Jimmy rubbed his hand against the back of his head and when he pulled it back he saw just a very small amount of blood, probably just from the rough surface of the wall. "I think so. I'm just sore and have a humongous headache."

"Good"

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine."

"We need to call Chloe. She's probably worried sick by now." Jimmy reached into his pocket and pulled out his now crushed phone. "That's just great."


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe sat at her computer fully engrossed in her work. She had finally given up pacing and decided the best way to keep herself from worrying was to dive back into her work. Besides, she thought, Clark was with Jimmy now so if Jimmy has gotten into some trouble Clark would be there to help.

"I need some water, an ice pack, and the biggest headache pill you've got." Chloe jumped in her chair letting out a small scream. Although, her mind had been fully occupied her body was on alert, just waiting for something to happen. "Jimmy! You startled me."

"Sorry," Jimmy tried to get a small smile out. "My phone got crushed, so I couldn't call and Clark didn't have his with him"

Chloe's attention shifted over to her long time friend. "Clark!"

Chloe gaped at the well-defined finger shaped bruises on Clark's neck. "Yeah, CK tried to help me out of a little bit of a sticky situation, which is why I really need something for my head."

Chloe's brain seemed to slow down a bit. "Okay. Jimmy why don't you just sit down here and I'll get you what you need. Clark, can you come and help me?"

Jimmy sat down obediently in Chloe's chair and looked back as his girlfriend grabbed Clark's arm and walked away with him. That was just a little strange. I know Chloe could get that stuff on her own, he thought. But, his head hurt too much to attempt too much thinking now and he let it go.

Chloe waited until they were alone in the Employee's break room. "What happened?"

Chloe took a closer inspection of Clark's neck. It definitely looked like it hurt, although the dark purple areas seemed to be fading somewhat now.

"When I got there, Jimmy was about to get beat up by this guy." Clark coughed slightly. "Chloe, I think I'm going to need a bottle of that water too."

"Okay." Chloe turned around and grabbed two bottles of water out of the office refrigerator and quickly handing one over to Clark.

Clark couldn't believe how soothing the cool water felt to him.

"Better?"

"Much. Thanks."

"Well, go on." As much as Chloe was worried about her friend's health her curiosity was beginning to get the best of her.

"I was going to go in there and just get the guy off Jimmy, no problem."

"But there was a problem, obviously."

"Yeah. The guy was kryptonite infected and as soon as I touched him I could feel it."

"So, what happened next? I'm glad you got away, but I don't think the guy you were up against was just going to walk away."

"No," Clark could tell his voice was getting stronger and his neck was beginning to be just a tingle. "But, that's where the story gets a little strange."

"How.. strange… Wall of Weird strange?"

"Possibly." Clark took another sip. "A guy came up and pried the other guy's arm off of me, and he didn't even seem like he was really trying. Plus the guy was about the size of Jimmy and the security guy was twice his size."

"So, you think your mysterious rescuer was another meteor freak?"

"No, I didn't feel anything from him."

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Chloe saw the look in Clark's eyes and knew he wanted to go back and investigate more.

"No." Chloe pointed a stern finger at him.

"What?"

"You do not need to go back and try to find anything else out. Look what happened to you tonight."

"Hey!" Jimmy called out. "What's taking so long? Are we out of water?"

"Almost" Chloe called back. "Be there in a second. Had to open a new container." Chloe turned back to Clark. "You'd better go. Won't want Jimmy to see you suddenly healed."

"Yeah."

Meanwhile…..

(in DC)

Diane closed the door to her apartment bathroom. She slid slowly down the wooden frame until she was sitting on the cold tile floor. She took a deep breath as she leaned her head against the door. She just didn't know how long she could keep this up. After she had gotten back from Philadelphia she endured a long talk with Director Beckett.

She didn't know how, but she had remained steadfast that she had not encountered Jake; she just went to Philadelphia to try and locate him. She led them to believe her trip had been unsuccessful. That particular point was not a lie. Her intention hadn't been to just find him, but to bring him back unharmed to the NSA.

She did feel like she had failed. She felt like she had almost reached a point with him that he was no longer scared, but not quite to the point of knowing the truth. If she had just had a little more time then she would have told him, instead of him finding out only part of the story on his own and undoing all the work she had already done.

She pushed an errant curl out of her face as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out the vile that contained the serum that she thought would help Jake. It was completely theoretical and had no idea if it would actually work or not. But, she had to give it a shot. She could not live with herself if she didn't try everything she could and Jake was killed in an attempt to get him back.

She had worked very hard to get the serum out of the NSA. The surveillance on her had definitely been heightened after her trip to Philadelphia. She wasn't sure if they had done anything to her apartment or not, but she knew her bathroom was safe and that was why she sat there now.

Out of her other pocket she pulled the small device out that she used to track Jake. She had tracked him off and on the whole time he had been gone. She had watched him get further and further away from the NSA…. and from her. She would argue with herself that he wanted to leave and this was in a way a new start for him. But, she knew that wasn't true. He was scared and alone and just running… from everything.

She looked at the signal again. She was going to find him. This time she would make him listen to her. This time she would succeed. She pressed the button to begin the location process and got up off the floor, placing the vile back in her pocket, with a new sense of determination.


	5. Chapter 5

The next night…

Clark waited in the dark alley. He tried to stay back in the shadows. He certainly didn't want to garner the attention from the bar's security again. Clark watched closely as the back door opened, but the person who came out was not the reason he was there. Clark began to watch the little bit of traffic that went by to try and help pass the time, since he didn't know how long he would have to wait.

Clark had his back to the alley when suddenly he felt someone gripping the collar of his jacket. Momentary fear shot through him, thinking the guard had caught him. But, he still felt okay so he knew that wasn't the case. Clark turned to find it was the guy from the night before. What did the guy say his name was? Jake. That's right.

"What are you doing here?" Jake had a menacing look on his face and his eyes narrowed with distrust. "Are you following me? Who sent you?"

Clark could tell Jake was getting angrier by the question as his voice raised with each one.

"Whoa there, calm down." Clark said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. "No one sent me. I came here by myself."

Jake gripped loosened slightly but he still wasn't going to let go yet. Not until he knew what was going on. "Why are you here?"

"I just wanted to talk."

"I'm not really much of a talker."

"Then I'll talk." Clark looked down at his jacket. "I'm not going to hurt you or run away."

Jake let go of Clark's jacket. He couldn't help but also be curious about the situation as well.

"I wanted to say thanks for helping my friend and me out last night."

"You came all the way down here just to say that." Jake said skeptical. "Don't say you were in the neighbor, either. You don't look like you live around here."

"No, I don't live around here. I live in Smallville." Clark answered. "I wanted to talk to you about saving my friend and me. I was curious how you were able to pull the guy off of me like you did. He had to be twice your size."

"I'll answer that if you'll tell me how you went from the street to where Butch had your friend in less than a second."

The two just stared at each for a moment, neither one wanting to budge. Jake didn't seem to be upset or freaked out by what he saw in the least, but it was definitely bothering Clark. "How could he see me?"

The stare down continued until a police siren could be heard going off nearby. Jake immediately got jumpy and acted like he was going to bolt. Clark could tell Jake must be on the run from something. "Look Jake, we can talk about this later at my house. Right now doesn't seem like a good time."

Jake seemed torn. He certainly didn't want to stay around and possibly be spotted by the cops, but he didn't know anything about the guy either. "How do you know my name?"

"I heard the guy who you call Butch call you that last night."

Jake stood there for a moment trying to decide. His gut seemed to tell him that this guy was okay, but then again he also thought Diane was okay. Jake finally gave in. "Where's your car?"

"It's two blocks away." Clark said, and then asked. "Can we go out the back side of the alley and get back to it?"

"Yeah"

The ride back to Smallville started out very quiet, both with numerous questions but neither knowing where to start.

Jake finally spoke first. "Why did you really come back tonight?"

Clark took his eyes off the road momentarily to look over at Jake before turning back. "I told you I wanted to talk to you."

"Why did you help me out back there?" Jake asked still uncertain about the situation. He had learned not to trust anyone, even if the person appeared to be nice. "Why didn't you run away and tell the police I was there?"

"I helped you out back there because it is the right thing to do." Clark paused. "Also, because I know what its like to be different."

Jake didn't say anything else for a moment, so Clark took the opportunity. "So, what were you doing back there at that place anyway? Were you a fighter?"

"Yes" was the only answer Clark got. The rest of the ride was continued in silence.

Diane rubbed her tired eyes. She was going to have stop soon, she would no help to anyone if she fell asleep driving and got in a wreck. She had been driving pretty much all day and night. Since it was Saturday and she wasn't expected to be back at work until Monday it seemed like the best opportunity to make her move.

She had spent the first part of the previous night trying to figure out how she was going to get to wherever she was going. She had eventually fallen asleep but had awakened when Jake's locator began to beep. She had looked over at it groggily at first, knowing she must be still asleep and looking at it wrong. _"Kansas."_ He made it all the way out there. She stared at the machine for a few moments trying to make sure that was correct.

She was still to far away for it to get a better location than that, so her destination would have to stay vague for the moment. Her first thought was to fly out there, but then she knew that wouldn't work. They would have her tracked down in no time. They would bring their guns and Jake could resist and get hurt. She couldn't and wouldn't let that happen.

So, here she was driving alone at night trying to find somewhere to spend the night. She had made a quick stop by some ATMs before she left. She had to make more than one stop so that the amount she withdrew would not send off any immediate red flags. She was glad her dad had given her a GPS for Christmas the previous year. She was trying to stay away from the large interstate roads so that her car wouldn't show up on any roadside cameras.

She sighed as she pulled up into the Hotel. It looked quaint and friendly and most importantly well lit. She parked her car and walked up to the front door to get a key.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Mom?" Clark called out as he walked through the door. He wasn't sure if she would be there or not. He knew she had to go to a meeting earlier that day and that she would probably be really late getting home.

Martha walked out from beside the kitchen. She was still wearing the suit she had worn to the meeting but she was walking around barefoot. "Hey."

"Mom, I want you to meet someone." Clark moved out of the way so that his mom could see the newcomer. "This is Jake. He's going to stay with us for a while. If that is okay?"

Martha smiled as she walked towards him to shake his hand. "Of course it's okay. My name's Martha Kent. Are you hungry? I was just getting something for myself before I headed off to bed."

Jake's stomach growled before he could answer.

"Well, I think that answers that question." Jake looked slightly embarrassed at the noise.

"So, what do you guys want?" Martha glanced over at the fridge thinking for a moment. "There's some left over beef stew and there's some fresh apple pie and ice cream." After a moment when Martha hadn't gotten a response she said, "Why don't I get it all out and you can get what you want."

Jake didn't know how to react to the family's generosity but he was really hungry and the food looked really good.

"Yeah" Clark said. "You have got to try my mom's pie. It's world famous."

"Now, I don't think you can say its "world" famous."

"Well, every contest you've entered it in you've won."

Jake watched the interaction between the two. They both seemed like very genuine, nice people.

After a few minutes everyone was seated around the dining room table. Jake had gotten some of the beef stew, but also had a piece of pie nearby. Clark and Martha both took a slice of pie, although Clark's slice was much bigger.

"So mom, how did the meeting go?"

"It went really well I think." Martha wiped at the corner of her mouth before continuing. "I think we are going to get the education funding we need."

Clark turned to Jake, "Mom's a state senator."

Jake stiffened somewhat at the news. "Don't worry Jake. I'm not some fancy person. I'm still the same farmer's wife I have always been."

Martha then turned to Clark. "I'll get you some sheets for the couch."

"Thanks mom."

Jake looked between the two confused. Martha alleviated the confusion for him. "You're going to be staying in Clark's room tonight."

"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble." Jake protested.

"No trouble at all." Martha turned to Clark. "Clark doesn't mind at all. This isn't the first time Clark has spent the night on the couch."

"Yeah, and you're much nicer than Lois."

Clark received another confused look. "It's a long story."

Jake nodded his head. "In that case, thank you."

"So, Jake where are you from?" Martha asked.

Jake just looked at her for a moment before answering. "I don't know." He saw the looks of concern on their faces, so he continued. "I've had some recent memory problems."

"Like amnesia"

"I guess so." Martha could tell that Jake didn't really want to talk about it anymore. "I'm sure things will come back to you in time."

Jake just nodded his head.

Martha looked over at Clark's empty plate. "Clark, why don't you come and help me with the sheets and will let Jake finish up his pie."

"Okay."

Jake watched them go upstairs and then tune in his enhanced hearing to find out what they were going to say about him.

Once upstairs Martha looked over at Clark and he could tell she wanted to know the beginning of the story. Clark decided to get right to the point and then fill in the details she needed. "Jake saw me use my speed."

Clark quickly added before Martha could get worried. "I think Jake and I are in a way in the same situation."

"How's that?"

"I saw him pull a guy off someone twice his size." Clark answered, leaving out one detail of the story. "He has got to have enhanced strength. There is no other explanation I can think of to explain what he was able to do. No, he isn't meteor rock infected I could tell."

"Who did he pull a guy off from?"

Clark winced slightly, he knew she wasn't going to like the answer. "Me."

"What?" Martha's voice raised an octave with the question. "You tell me what happened right now."

"I was helping Chloe out with a story kinda." Clark took a breath before sitting down on the side of the bed. "Jimmy was supposed to go and find out if they were doing illegal fighting at this certain bar. When he didn't call her back after a while she got worried and wanted me to go and check on him."

Clark paused for a moment, but realizing there was no one else around to tell the whole story he continued. "When I got to the place I saw Jimmy being roughed up by one of the security guards. I sped over to get the guy off Jimmy, but quickly found out the bouncer was kryptonite infected. Jake came over and pulled the guy off me."

"Just when were you going to tell me about this?" Martha asked. "What did he do to you?"

"I thought I wouldn't worry you. You have enough to deal with on your own." Clark said. "Besides, I'm fine. The bruise went away pretty quickly."

Martha's finally gave Clark a small smile. "I can't help but worry about you. No matter how busy I get I still want to know what is going on with you."

Clark sat down on the newly made bed. "Mom, I think he's a good guy, he's just gotten a little lost. He's needs someone to help get him back on the right track." Clark lowered his head momentarily and Martha could see the hidden sadness in them that was now not so hidden. "Just like you and dad did for me."

Martha sat down next to her son. "Clark you don't need to beat yourself up over that anymore. Your father would have done the same thing again in the heartbeat to help you."

Clark tried to protest, "But…"

Martha cut him off, "We have a visitor waiting for us downstairs and we shouldn't keep him waiting." Martha smiled at Clark trying to get him to do the same in return. She got a faint one back.

A few minutes later Martha and Clark both came back down the stairs. "The bedroom is all ready for you."

"Thanks again, Mrs. Kent."


	7. Chapter 7

Jake gasped as he awoke with a start. He looked around the room disoriented. This was not his place. How did he get there? He spotted a picture of a family on a nearby dresser and slowly as the fog of sleep slipped away the events of the previous night came back to him.

He couldn't believe he had actually slept. He had had a problem getting rest for a long time. Most of the time when he slept, images came to him, but they weren't clear. It was as if they were just out of his grasp.Sometimes, if he tried hard enough he could make them out and something would make sense, but then he would wake up and bringing him right back where he started, lost.

His stomach growled as the most wonderful scent hit his keen nose. Breakfast – and from the smell it seemed to be homemade. A small smile couldn't help but stretch across his face. If the food was anywhere near as good as the smell, he knew he was going to really enjoy this meal. The one he had last night was the best one he had had in as long as he could remember. His smile faded as he thought ruefully. Well, that hasn't been very long.

Martha smiled at Jake as he entered the kitchen. "Good morning Jake. How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good, Mrs. Kent." Martha noticed from the way he said that it was the first one he had had in a long time.

"We didn't wake you up did we? We were trying to be quiet."

"No, I woke up on my own."

"Do you want to get cleaned up real quick and then come back down and have some breakfast?"

"That sounds good. Where's Clark?"

"He just got finished eating and headed out to the barn to start on some of the chores. When you finished in here you can go out with him if you'd like."

"That sounds good."

After cleaning up and grabbing a bite to eat, Jake walked out across the field. Martha said Clark was probably patching part of the fence that had recently been broken by one of the big steers trying to get out. Jake saw the boards laying on the grounds and the nails right next to it.

"Don't you need a hammer to do that?"

Clark held the board with one hand pressing the nail into the board easily with his thumb.

Jake's eyes got kinda big as he watched. "No, I guess not."

"So, you're really fast and really strong?"

Clark turned towards Jake and nodded as he picked up another board.

"How?"

Clark laid the board down and looked over at Jake with a little shrug. "I was just kinda born like this."

"What about you? You seem pretty strong yourself."

"Yeah" Clark noticed that Jake was still unsure about talking. "Do you want to help me finish patching the fence?"

"Sure." Jake picked up the board and held one end while Clark pressed the nails into the other end. Clark handed Jake the last nail to put in the board. "You wanna try?"

"Without a hammer?"

"If you want to, if not I'll do it."

Jake took the nail and pressed on it hard, surprised that it actually went in. "Good job." Clark smiled. "You knew when to stop it as well."

"You've gone all the way through before?" Jake asked incredulous. This was certainly a weird day for him so far.

"Yeah, before I knew how to control my strength I messed up several things around here growing up."

Jake was quiet for a moment. "I wasn't like this growing up. At least I don't think so." "This" Jake motioned toward the fixed fence, "happened later."

"What happened?" Clark asked patiently.

"I don't really know. I just can't remember." Jake paused frustrated. "All I know is what I've been told and I don't even know if it's true."

"Just start there. If I can help I will." Clark look at Jake steadfast and Jake could see the sincerity in his eyes."

"I was told that I was a hacker that went to work for the NSA. They performed all kinds of experiments on me that messed me up so badly that I was lucky to escape."

"If that's true how'd you get away?"

"I was told by someone, who said they were my friend, that they broke me out. But, they weren't my friend." Jake paused momentarily knowing the next question. "I could just tell something wasn't right. I really didn't like this guy. I had to get away. When I attempted to leave, the NSA found me and tried to take me in. I jumped off a bridge to get away from them and been on the run ever since."

Clark stood silent listening to the story. "That's why you ended up as a fighter at the bar. Isn't it? You get paid for each fight you win and you used your strength to help you fight."

"That and my quick healing." Jake looked at Clark intent on what he was saying. "Yeah, I know I have an unfair advantage in the ring. But, I needed some way to make some money so I could have some kind of life. I don't know who I am or what really happened to me. I've gone from town to town always looking over my shoulder waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and grab me. What if someone was after you for what you can do?"

Clark thought about Lex, and Lionel and the other people who had been after him, trying to find out what Clark Kent was hiding from them. "I haven't been through exactly what you have, but I do know a little bit about that. My parents have always been worried about me. That someone was going to find out about me and try to exploit me through my abilities. There have been some close calls in the past."

Clark paused for a moment. "Jake, you don't have to worry about being safe here. No one is going to take you away and experiment on you."

Jake nodded his head, only slightly assured.


	8. Chapter 8

Diane woke up disoriented as the sun streamed in the window. She looked around the strange room for what seemed like several minutes before things slowly came back to her. She fumbled around on the nearby table for her glasses, so she could look at the clock. It read 10:00 am. Her head hit the pillow momentarily. 10:00! Her eyes shot open. She couldn't believe she had slept so late. She guessed she had been so tired from the drive the night before that she must have slept right through her wake up call. She was not going to get any closer to Jake by just laying there, so she dragged herself out of bed to go and take a shower. "Yeah, a shower and some coffee. That'll help."

She glanced over at the device she used to monitor Jake. She needed to check it and make sure she was still on the right track. The signal still seemed to be coming from the same area. "Good maybe he'll stay put long enough for me to find him."

(A little while later in Smallville)

Martha sat in front of her laptop computer exasperated. The thing had completely frozen up on her. She had tried everything she could think of to fix it and nothing was working. She sighed as she stared at the small picture of an envelope frozen on the screen.

The sound of the kitchen door opening caught her attention. "Clark, after you wash up, do you think you could look at my computer while I get started on lunch? I was trying to send an email to the office to let them know I'm taking the next few days off and it just froze up on me."

"Sure thing."

A few minutes later Clark had the same expression on his face that Martha had earlier. "I don't know what's wrong with it, Mom."

"Let me try it." Clark turned and looked over at Jake unsure what else could be done. "Okay."

Clark pushed the laptop over to Jake. Clark noticed as a look of intense concentration spread across Jake's face as he began to hit a few keys. Clark wondered idly if that was how he looked whenever he used his X-ray vision.

After only a few moments, the computer dinged and displayed the note "Message sent successfully."

Clark turned the computer around and saw that the picture that had been frozen was now gone and everything seemed to be working again. Martha looked up at the noise. "You fixed it already?"

Clark seemed confused as well. "How'd you do that?"

Jake just shrugged a little. "I seem to be pretty good with them."

"Well, I'm just glad you fixed it however you did it." Martha smiled over at him.

Chloe drove up to the Kent farm, her tires crunching on the gravel underneath. She got out and walked towards the barn, figuring that was most likely where he was. She was right. Halfway there she saw him appear as he began to walk out towards her.

"Hey!" Chloe said. "I came out here to check on you. I was pretty sure that you had gone ahead with your plan even though I told you it was a bad idea. Then you wouldn't answer your cell phone and I couldn't help but get a little worried."

Clark gave her a grin. "Sorry, about that Chloe. I've been a little busy. How's Jimmy?"

"Oh, he's fine." Chloe waved her hand at him. "Other than just a little shock and some bruises, there's nothing wrong with him. Though, he certainly is milking the situation for all its worth."

"I'm glad that he's okay. Chloe, there's someone here I think you'd like to meet."

"So, your mystery rescuer is here? Now? On the farm?"

"Yeah" Both of them headed back towards the barn. "Jake, it's okay. I want you to meet a friend of mine."

Chloe watched as a young man who didn't look that big descending the stairs from the loft. Something had to be wrong with this picture, or there was a lot going on that she didn't know about.

"Jake, this is my friend, Chloe."

"So, you're Clark's rescuer? Have you ever been to Smallville before?"

"I'm not sure. I don't remember too much. Why?"

Chloe looked between the two guys momentarily before Jake said anything. "Don't really look the part do I?"

"No, but this is Smallville."

"What does that mean?"

"What Chloe is trying to say is that a lot of weird things happen around here."

"Like what?"

"Oh there are the people with incredible strength, telekinetics, pryokinetics – and those are the more normal ones." Chloe saw the look on Jake's face; he couldn't tell if they were playing a trick on him or being serious.

"It's all real. Smallville has been struck by two meteor showers." Chloe paused momentarily glancing over at Clark before continuing. "When people have come in contact with the rocks they sometimes gain certain abilities– and most of the time they turn into raving psychopaths."

Clark gave Chloe a look like she was exaggerating and trying to scare off Jake. "How many have we run into that were nice and just wanted to be friends?"

"There have been a few."

Jake was trying hard not to laugh at the two of them. "Sounds like an interesting town."

"You have no idea." Chloe looked over at Clark again. Jake could tell there was a lot that he had no idea about.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer I just wanted to come out and check to make sure you were okay." Chloe turned to Jake. "Thanks again for helping out."

As Clark and Jake watched Chloe drive away Jake turned to Clark. "So, is there something going on between the two of you?"

Clark looked over strangely at Jake for a moment before giving a small smile. "No, we're just friends. The other guy that was with me the other night is her boyfriend, Jimmy."

"Just friends, huh?"

Clark nodded. "Good friends, but yeah just friends." Wanting to get the subject off himself he asked. "What about you?"

Jake shook his head. "No." Clark could tell by the look in his eye that he was definitely thinking of someone. "Well, one. Diane. But, she wasn't what she seemed."

"What happened?"

"She saw me at a diner and we talked and she seemed really nice. I really enjoyed talking with her. It was nice to have someone to talk to. She seemed like she really cared and wanted to help."

Clark stood there silent, waiting for Jake to continue.

"She was with the NSA. I found a folder in her room full of information about me, such as results and test that were done. I didn't stick around for an explanation. I think she was just trying to get close to me to get me back there."

"Jake, I'm sorry." Clark said earnestly.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry on the delay on the chapter. Work conspired against me. Thanks to me beta for her contribution to this chapter.

Jake walked up the flight of stairs to the loft. Clark was standing at the window seemingly staring up at the clear night sky. He turned around as Jake approached.

Noticing that Jake seemed a little nervous about something, but before he could ask him about it Jake began talking.

"I just wanted to tell you thank you for letting me stay here with you."

"Oh, don't mention it. It was the right thing to do."

Clark still couldn't figure out why Jake still seemed nervous. "I also wanted to tell you that I overheard – eavesdropped on the conversation between you and your mom the other night."

Jake watched the look of surprise and then understanding flash through Clark's eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking what happened? When you "got off track"?

Clark's eyes and demeanor took on a sad and shameful quality. "It's complicated." He answered quietly. "I ran away and did some things that I'm not proud of and my dad went after me and brought me back home."

Jake could tell the topic was painful and decided to leave it alone. He thought he would end it with a lighter topic, one that he had been curious about since the conversation with Chloe earlier in the day. "Why did Chloe look over at you when she was talking about the meteor shower? It was as if she was making sure it was okay for her to talk about it around you."

Clark looked over at Jake for a few moments before saying anything else. Should he tell him the whole story? Yeah, Jake had seen him use some of his abilities and he had seemed like a good person in the short time he had known him, but was that a good enough of a reason to let him in on his biggest secret. Jake had told him everything about himself. Maybe, honesty wouldn't be too bad for a change. "You're going to want to sit down for this."

"You're serious about all of this?" Clark nodded his head.

"Wow" Jake said in a state of near shock.

"You alright with this?"

"Do I have to answer that now?"

Clark gave a small laugh. "No. To answer your original question, Chloe knows all about me and what I can do. Chloe looked over at me because she wanted to make sure she wasn't going to make me feel bad. Ever since I found out about all this I thought all the weirdness and the bad things caused by the shower were my fault. If I hadn't come here then none of this would have happened."

"But, you had no control over that."

"That's what my parents have always said." Clark looked over at Jake and could tell he needed time to think. "I'll leave you alone now."

Clark had reached the stairs when Jake called out. "Clark, wait!"

Clark turned to face him again. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For trusting me. For making me feel like I could be trusted by someone who didn't want anything in return."

Clark nodded, "It was going to come out eventually and plus it's nice being  
able to talk openly with someone about certain things. Especially someone who knows what its like to be different."

"Speaking of that, E.T. wouldn't be your favorite movie, would it?" quipped  
Jake.

Clark laugh, retreating down the stairs, "No, I actually like Close  
Encounters."

The next day

Shcooop

The security door slid open to the lab allowing Lou and Kyle to enter. "Fran."

Fran jumped as she heard her name. "Sorry, I just didn't hear you come in. Tried a new place for coffee this morning and I think they made it too strong."

Fran saw no reaction from her superiors.

"Where's Diane? We need to ask her opinion on something." Kyle asked.

Fran seemed to relax a little at least she wasn't the focus of their attention. "She called me this morning at my apartment and said she wasn't feeling good. That she wouldn't be in. She wasn't sure but she thought she might have some kinda virus or the flu."

"I hope she gets to feeling better soon." Lou gave a small smile before they turned around leaving the lab.

In the elevator back up to the main level Kyle looked over at Lou. "So, what's bugging you?"

"Why didn't Diane call here to let anyone know she was sick? Why did she call Fran at home?"

"Do you think she's not really sick?" Kyle looked somewhat unsure. "You don't think she's done it again do you?"

"I think you should go and pay Diane a visit. Just to be sure."

"Yes, ma'am."

A little while later…..

"Lou, you aren't going to like this." Kyle sat in his car giving the report through his cell phone.

"What's the status?"

"Looks like she bailed on us again." Kyle took a deep breath. As much as he wanted to find Jake this was not the way to do it. Going AWOL like this was just not a good idea. It put too much at risk, not to mention Diane herself.

"I couldn't get any response from inside her apartment. I talked to one of her neighbors and they said that they saw her packing stuff into her car like she was going on a long trip early Saturday morning."

Lou slammed her hand down on the desk inwardly cussing. "So, she's got a two day lead on us."

"Looks like it."

"Did the neighbor say anything about where she was headed?"

"No, he didn't talk to her Saturday morning just glanced out the window and saw her putting stuff in her car."

"Okay, just get back here now."

"Yes, ma'am"

Lou turned to Sara, one of the nearby data technicians, "Page Fran to my office immediately"

A few minutes later…

"I need to know your exact conversation with Diane this morning and I need to know it now and don't even think of attempting to cover anything up or lie to me. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am"

"Diane called you this morning."

"Yes, around 7:00 o'clock or so."

"What did she say exactly?"

"Just what I told you. She said she wasn't feeling good, and that she couldn't come into work. If you don't mind me asking what's going on?"

"Diane has gone AWOL again and you are the only person that she has had any contact with in the last three days. You were also the person that was trying to help her out with her first trip, so if you have anymore information to share, right now would be a very good time to share it."

"I swear. I don't know anything. If Diane's gone AWOL she didn't say anything to me about it."

"Okay, I believe you. Fran, is anything missing from the lab?"

"Not that I've noticed. I'll check around. You think Diane stole something and went AWOL? She wouldn't go rogue."

"Just check the lab okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Lou walked over to Sara, the nearest data tech. "Pull up Fran's phone records." Sara paused uncharacteristically turning to look at her superior. "Fran from the lab?"

"Yes."

"Yes, Ma'am"

"I need the records from this morning specifically." 

After a few moments of typing, Sara said. "Only one call was made to Fran's apartment this morning."

"Okay, put the number and location up on the screen."

"The call was made from a payphone." Sara hit a few more keys bringing up a map on the large screen already displaying the number and address. "In Kansas City, Missouri."

Lou turned as she heard Kyle enter the room. "Get a team ready. You're going to Kansas City."


	10. Chapter 10

Lou looked up at the sound of a knock at her door. Fran cautiously peeked her head inside the door. "Director Beckett."

Lou nodded her head for Fran to come in. "Please close the door behind you."

Fran stood in the office silent for a moment. "Fran, did you have something to tell me."

"Yes" Fran started. "I went over the lab like you requested."

"And?"

"Well, as I'm sure you are aware, Diane has synthesized a formula that theoretically should give Jake his memory back."

"Yes. But, as far as I was informed you had no proof that Jake's memory was gone or that this formula worked."

"Well, we did some test on the mice and gave them the serum after exposing them to what we think happened to Jake. The mice's memory appeared to return to normal after the injection."

"But, Jake isn't a mouse. You have no idea if this would or would not work on him in practice."

"No, ma'am" Fran stated. "But, Diane must. One vial is missing."

Clark decided that Jake needed to learn how to fish. He had mentioned fishing that morning and when he received a completely blank stare, he knew what they would do today after the chores were done. But, he wanted to start small, really small. So, they both sat on the bank of the small creek that ran through the edge of the farm. They sat beneath a clove of trees that shielded them from the road.

"So, you just sit here and wait?"

"Pretty much." Clark answered. "You don't want to get to moving around too much or you'll scare the fish away."

"Are there even any fish in there?"

"There's some small brim in there. I've seen them before. Besides, I wanted you to learn the basics with the small fish." Clark couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the look on Jake's face.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing really."

"Nothing huh?"

"Just that you have the same look on your face that I had when my dad first brought me out here to fish. He wanted me to practice out here with the little fish before he took me to the lake to get the bigger ones."

Clark looked over and saw Jake smiling but then watched as his face instantly took on a worried expression. Clark looked to see what Jake had spotted. He hadn't paid any attention to the vehicle he had heard coming down the road thinking it must be his mom coming back from getting groceries.

Jake looked over at Clark. "It's Diane. How did she find me?"

"Just stay here." Clark stated trying to keep Jake calm. "She hasn't seen you yet. I'll go and take care of this."

Diane checked the tracking device one more time before she got out of the car. _Yeah, this is the place._ She didn't know whether to go to the house first or the barn. She thought she heard something out in the barn so she thought somebody must be out there.

"Hello? Anyone out here?"

Diane was greeted by a dark haired, tall young man. "Can I help you?" Diane sensed from his tone that was being cordial but didn't like that she was here.

"I want to see Jake."

"Sorry, I don't know any Jake." Clark started to turn away from her.

"I know he's here and I need to see him."

Clark turned back toward her and crossed his arms over his chest. "I told you that I don't know anyone by that name."

"And I told you that I need to see him." Diane said trying to use her most forceful tone. "If you don't want your farm swarming with police you will let me see him." Diane hoped her bluff would work. She wasn't about to call Lou. She wasn't about to leave either. She hadn't come all this way to get this close just to let him slip out of her fingers again.

"You just want to do more experiments on him." Clark stated.

"Is that what he told you?" Diane composure began to slip. "No, no, no, no no."

"Jake is not an escaped experiment." Diane's lips began quivering as she talked. "Jake – Jake is my best friend. He's hurt and scared and he needs my help. I'm the only one trying to help him, not hunt him down like some criminal. "

Clark softened as he looked at her. He reached over and pulled up a nearby stool for her to sit on. "Here, sit down. Tell me what happened."

"I really shouldn't being telling you this." Diane sniffed. "It's all completely top secret."

"You don't have to worry about me." Clark gave her a small smile. "I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Jake is not an experiment that has escaped from the NSA, he's an agent." Diane sniffed again. "He was involved in an accident in one of the labs. That's how he became - enhanced."

"Enhanced?"

"During the accident, nannities – or tiny computers, entered into his bloodstream. They multiplied and went throughout his whole system enhancing all of his body's senses. It also increased his strength and speed and lets him interface with technology wirelessly."

"He can interface with technology?"

"Yeah, he can fix a computer by looking at it. He can unlock an electric door without touching it."

'That explains how he fixed mom's computer so quickly,' Clark thought to himself. "So, what happened to him?"

"The last mission Jake went on something went wrong. He was kidnapped and when we tried to rescue him, he was afraid of his own partner. He ended up falling off a bridge into a river trying to get away. They think he went rogue. They have been trying to track him down ever since. Except _they_ are putting out phony rap sheets on him to try and get the cops to catch him. More like try to get him killed to me." Diane waved her hands around showing her disgust for the plan.

Diane looked intensely at Clark. "Jake did not go rogue. Something is wrong with him."

"What do you think happened?"

"I think there was some kind of electrical interference used on Jake that affected the nannites and he just can't access his memories anymore. If I can get close enough to give him some medicine then I think I will have the old Jake back."

Clark looked over at the young woman. He just got a sense from her that she was telling the truth. "I just need Jake to be given this shot I have. It's not going to be easy to get him to stay still long enough for it to be administered especially if he suspects something."

"I'll do what I can to help out."

Jake appeared from the back entrance of the barn. He had only heard the last part of the conversation but that was all that he needed to hear.

"I trusted you!" Jake stared coldly at Clark.

"Jake!" Diane jumped up from the stool she was sitting on. "Jake! Please, I just want to help!"

"I've had enough of your 'help'". Jake then sped off.

Diane started to take out after him, but Clark grabbed a hold of her arm stopping her. "Let me go! I have to go after him."

"If you go after him he's just going to run farther away." Clark said. "You said it yourself. He's scared and to him you're one of the bad guys. Let me talk to him. He's mad at both of us now, but you need to let me try to talk to him."

"I've driven half-way across the country to find him and I'm not leaving here without him. Lou has probably got a team on my trail by now. I need to find Jake before they do."

"Lou?"

"My boss. If they find Jake first I'm afraid they'll end up hurting him. It might not be intentional. But, I just afraid somebody will get hurt."

"Then you need to let me handle this. I know this area. You don't. Can you trust me?"

Diane really didn't know what to do, but ended up deciding to trust him. "Okay, so what's your name?"

"Clark."

"I'm Diane."

"I know."

"How do you know?"

"Jake mentioned you to me."

"He did? Really? What did he say?"

Clark noticed how Diane's tone softened suddenly as she spoke. He smiled as he answered, "He said you were really nice and really seemed to care."

Clark pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call. "Chloe. Where are you now?"

"I'm sitting at the Talon. After coming out here to visit you I thought I would spend some time with Lois. She just left saying she had some major lead on a story she's working on. But, she wouldn't tell me what it was about. Do you think she's afraid I'm going to steal her story? You know I wouldn't do that right?" Chloe blurted out so quickly it almost made Clark's head spin. Chloe had to vent to someone and Clark just happened to be the lucky recipient.

"First of all, no more caffeine for you. Second, no I know you wouldn't do that. Third, I need your help."

Chloe sighed. "Whatcha need?"

"A friend of mine has come into town just now and I need someone to keep her company while I take care of something."

"Her, huh?" Chloe asked with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Not like that." Clark answered. "Can you do that? Just stay there at the Talon and I'll send her over. Okay?"

"Sure thing."

"Her name's Diane."

Diane looked over at Clark not happy at all about his plan. "I can not just sit around and do nothing."

"If I find anything I will call Chloe immediately." Clark said calmly. "Just take the first left up here and it will lead you straight into town. You can't miss it,"

Clark waited until Diane was out of sight before speeding off to try and find his misguided new friend.


	11. Chapter 11

Kyle paced outside the convenience store. "How hard can it be to just pull a tape out of the recorder?" he grumbled to himself. "You just push a button and the tape pops out."

"Uh, sir" Kyle turned around at the nervous voice. "There seems to be a problem with the machine, we can't get the tape out. There is a timer on it and we can't remove it until the time is up."

"Never had this problem with Jake." Kyle mumbled underneath his breath. Kyle had gotten used to quickly overcoming any technical problems like this since Jake was on his team. He couldn't think like that now. Jake had gone rogue and he had to bring him in before he hurt anyone.

"When is that?" Kyle was quickly getting exasperated.

"In 4 hours."

Kyle let out a deep breath trying to remain calm before pulling out a picture of Diane. "Do you recognize this person? She would have been here early this morning."

"I just got here sir. Al was here this morning."

"Where's Al?"

"He's inside. He's just about to get off shift."

"Can I please speak to him before he leaves?"

"Sure."

After pacing for another few moments, Kyle got to talk to Al. "Do you recognize this person?"

Al adjusted his glasses and studied the picture for a moment before responding, "Yeah, I remember her. She came in early this morning. She got a cup of coffee and I think some snacks."

"Okay." Kyle was finally beginning to make some progress. "Do you know which way she went?"

"Sorry, I had other customers come in right after her. I didn't notice."

"Okay, thanks for your help."

Kyle walked back over to his car pinching the bridge of his nose. He flipped open his cell phone.

"What do you have?"

"Not very much at all. She was here, but it's all I have for right now."

"Let me know when you get something. We'll see if we can find out anything from this end."

---------

Diane pulled up to the building. She had been sent to an old timey looking movie theater? This couldn't be right. But, then again she had been told to go to the Talon and that was clearly what this placed was called. Diane got out of her car and stretched. She hadn't realized how sore she was from riding so much until that moment. She felt a little better after doing so, if she had been the type to go and get a massage, she felt like she could use one now.

Diane walked up to the door, opening it and cautiously looking around. It wasn't a movie theater after all, but looked like some type of café. Then she spotted a young blonde waving furiously in her direction. She saw her mouth "Yes, you." Diane was surprised just how noisy it was with only a few people in there.

Diane walked over to the table taking a seat across from the perky blonde. Chloe extended her hand "I'm Chloe, Clark's friend."

"I'm Diane" she smiled nervously. "How did you know it was me?"

"The bewildered look on your face." Chloe smiled.

"Was it that bad?"

"Don't worry about it." Chloe said. "The place is a little unusual. It's not everyday you see a theater turned Egyptian themed café. I'm used to it"

"You're from here?"

"Not originally. But, yeah I've been here a while." Chloe answered. "I'm guessing you're not."

"No. This is my first time here or even Kansas for that matter."

"You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Clark's newest friend and resident of his farm would you? I think his name is Jake." Chloe saw the instant recognition in Diane's eyes and something else as well sadness, anxiousness, she wasn't quite sure.

"What would make you think that?"

"Clark has had two different people who aren't from around here end up at his farm in a matter of days. Just makes you think the two events are connected." Chloe said. "That and I saw the look in your eye when I said his name."

"What look?"

Chloe smiled genuinely and lowered her voice a degree as she spoke. "I'm not trying to expose him or you. I just want to help. I know about keeping secrets and doing so to protect people. I've also seen things that you wouldn't believe even if I told you.

If what Clark said is true, and I'd have no reason to believe otherwise, then I would say you have a very special friend."

Chloe gave Diane a moment to absorb what she had just said before continuing. "So, are the two of you just friends?"

Diane knew she shouldn't be talking about this. She had opened up too quickly to Clark, now that she looked back on it. Maybe it was the stress of the trip that made her immediately open up to these people; maybe she was losing her mind. If she stopped to think what Lou would do to her when she found her, she would have to say she had lost her mind. But, she had to help Jake. That was all that mattered and these people seemed to want the same thing as well. "Yeah, we're just friends."

There was that look again. It then hit Chloe why it seemed familiar to her. She was looking at a mirror of herself a few years ago. "Let me guess what Jake is like. Really nice, slightly goofy and has no idea what is right in front of his face."

Diane thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I think that describes him pretty well. How did you guess? Have you met him?"

"Just briefly" Chloe answered. "Let's just say I know someone very similar to him."

"So, what's going on –if you don't mind me asking?" Chloe asked her reporter mode was beginning to kick in.

"Jake's sick and not himself right now." Diane thought that answer would be okay and not give too much away.

"You came out to try and help him," Chloe added knowingly thinking of her own similar experience.

"Yeah"

Chloe cell phone rang breaking into the conversation. "Hello?"

"I've found Jake."

"Great. Where is he? Is he with you now?"

"He ran into the Old Foundry."

"Clark Kent you listen to me!" Chloe voice became suddenly stern. "Don't you move until…" Chloe's phone call was suddenly disconnected. He had hung up on her. She knew what he was going to do. "Hard headed, stubborn." Chloe fumed at her phone.

"What's going on?"

"Come on. We got go. He found Jake."

-----------

Clark stood outside of the old metal fence that barely stood up around part of the perimeter of the old Foundry. Of all the places that Jake could end up, he wound up here. Maybe he could talk to Jake and get him to listen to him quickly before anything happened to him. He couldn't back out now. His dad hadn't worried about what would happen to himself when he came after Clark. Jake needed help and Clark couldn't just walk away. Clark pulled the vial out of his pocket and looked at it momentarily before stepping forward.

Jake paced inside of the old building. He didn't know what to do. Diane had betrayed him, experimented on him, lied to him, and now followed him. He didn't even know how she did that. She probably had more people following her. She was probably just the scout. She would be sent to find him first and then the rest of them would move in later.

He had to think. He couldn't think, his mind was too jumbled up right now. He didn't know what was going on. Everyone he trusted was turning on him. Even his new friend – or at least he had thought he was his friend had turned on him as well. Diane had turned Clark against him. He had believed her as well at first, before he found out who she really was.

Clark walked through the entrance to the Foundry. "Jake!" Clark paused glancing around at the now gleaming green rocks that were strewn about. "Jake! I just want to talk." Clark tried to X-ray the inside of the structure but between the effects of the rocks and the areas of lead he wasn't able to see anything. He walked a little further. "I don't want to hurt you. I just want to help. I know what you feel like now."

Jake inched closer to where he saw Clark but still out of his line of sight. _"How could he know I feel?"_

Clark leaned against a metal support beam; his breathing was beginning to get heavy. "I know you feel betrayed and alone and feel like you can't trust anyone. But, you can."

"How would you know?" Jake appeared right behind Clark.

Clark turned to face Jake while still leaning on the beam for support. "Because I've been there. When I ran away from home I did some bad things and I didn't think anyone cared about me anymore." Clark paused to try and catch his breath. "I wasn't myself and if anyone tried to help me or tried to talk to me about it I just shut them out."

"This is not the same." Jake yelled. "You were not kidnapped and experimented on. How could you betray me like that? I trusted you and you betrayed me."

Clark slid down the pole unable to hold up his own weight anymore. "I told you the truth about me. Why would I trust you with that and then turn around and give you up?"

Jake turned away momentarily trying to figure out what Clark had said. When he turned back he noticed a syringe sticking out from Clark's hand. He also noticed how weak Clark looked. "Clark? Clark what's wrong?"

"Rocks" Clark choked out as he glanced over to his right. Jake looked in the same direction and it seemed as if some nearby rocks were actually glowing. "Okay. What do I need to do?"

"Outside" Clark managed to say slowly. Jake was about to ask, "Can you walk, but that seemed an obvious no." Jake didn't know if he could actually just sling him over his shoulder either. He settled for a combination of the two. He grabbed one of Clark's arms and slung it around his shoulder and grabbed the back of his waistband and picked him up off of the ground picking up the vial also that had slipped from Clark's hand. He began to half carry; half walk Clark out of the old building.

He dragged Clark outside of the Foundry to a nearby tree setting him gently next to it. Jake was actually winded and had to catch his breath before saying anything. "Hey, just what are they feeding you on that farm?"

Jake noticed that Clark's color seemed to be returning as he got a small smile. "Corn."

The two of them turned as a small Volkswagon came flying up the dirt road between the two of them. Chloe shot out of the car over to where Clark was resting under the tree, squatting down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Clark gave her the biggest smile he could muster. "Yeah, thanks to Jake."

Chloe stood up and quickly hugged Jake. "Thank you, again."

Chloe then stepped aside and looked over at Diane, who had quietly stayed back at the car unsure of what to do, before looking back at Jake. "You two need to talk."

Jake walked over to the car. Diane started in before anything else could happen. "Jake I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth the first time I saw you. You looked so scared and lonely and I was just afraid if I told you the truth you would run away and I couldn't handle that. I miss my best friend."

"I'm not him."

"That's okay."

Jake opened his hand revealing the vial. "So, this will make me better?"

Diane nodded her head, unable to say anything else.

"Okay." Jake handed the vial over to Diane who took it quickly before Jake could change his mind. _This has just got to work. _She thought to herself before injecting the serum.

Diane waited for a moment to see what reaction if any it was going to have. At first it didn't seem to do anything and then Jake swayed slightly and fell toward the car. Diane quickly reached for his arm. "I'm here I've got you."

Jake got a blank look on his face for a moment and seemed to just stare at her. "Who are you?"

"Oh, no" Diane began to go pale when she saw that familiar mischievous smile and Jake began to laugh slightly. "I'm sorry."

"That was not funny." Diane slapped at him lightly.


	12. Chapter 12

I apologize for the lenghty delay in getting this out. I hope it is worth the wait. Between, work, vacation, my computer's hard going out (luckily it was saved) and writer's block things just weren't going the way they needed to for me to get this posted. Thanks, again to my beta for proofing this and helping with the writer's block.

Jake and Clark rode in silence going back to the farm. It hadn't been hard to convince Diane to head back with them, but she wanted to climb into the truck with them. She had been pretty insistent about keeping Jake in her sights. Even though she knew he wasn't going to run off again, Diane just wanted to reassure herself that he was there and himself. But Jake had wanted some time alone to talk to Clark, so he had convinced Diane to ride with Chloe back to the farm, which brought him back to the slightly awkward silence in the car.

"So, what happened back there with you?"

"You saw the green rocks that were strewn all around back there?"

"Yeah,"

Jake nodded his head. "It was really weird I almost thought I saw them glow but I know that couldn't happen."

Clark looked over at Jake momentarily before turning his eyes back to the road.

"They were glowing?" Jake asked incredulous.

"I have kind of an allergic reaction to them. They sap all my energy."

"That's why you were about to pass out back there?"

"Yeah."

"Did you know they were in there?"

"Yeah."

"And you went in there anyway?" Jake knew he shouldn't be surprised, but couldn't help but be. A person would knowingly risk their own life for someone they had only recently met.

"You needed help." Clark said nonchalantly.

"I know you would have done the same thing for me."

"Thank you."

"I'm not the one that you need to thank." Clark looked over at Jake and saw a slightly confused expression. "You need to thank Diane. It seems like she has gone through a lot to come out here and find you. She seems quite special. It's not all very often you find someone who will go halfway across the country to find someone."

Jake nodded. He hadn't even had a chance to think about what Diane had gone through to find him.

"It's also good to have someone who knows who you are," offered Clark

"Like Chloe?"

Clark smiled slightly. "I told you she has a boyfriend, and we're just friends."

"Did the two of you ever get together?"

"For a brief moment"

"Why didn't it work out?"

Clark sighed. "I guess I was too preoccupied with what I thought I wanted to realize what was right in front of me." Clark glanced over at Jake again. "Don't do that with Diane."

Jake didn't say anything else as the rest of the ride to the farm was in silence.

After everyone arrived back at the farm Jake pulled Diane aside while Chloe and Clark turned to go inside. Chloe turned to Clark as they headed for the house. "So, I guess Jake is going home now."

"Yeah, but I've got a feeling we'll hear from him again."

"So, did you come all the way out here to find me by yourself? Where are Lou and Kyle?"

Diane sighed. "Lou and Kyle thought you might have gone rogue. So,"

"What?!"

"When you jumped off that bridge to get away from Kyle they thought that you had gone rogue and didn't want to be a part of the NSA anymore."

"I didn't know what I was doing or who anybody was."

"I know. I tried telling them that. They wouldn't listen to me."

"So, you went off on your own and tracked me down to Philadelphia."

Diane looked down momentarily before answering. "Yeah, but that didn't work out too well."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You weren't yourself."

"I should have stayed and let you try to explain."

"What if I let you explain it to Lou?"

"She doesn't know you're here does she?" Jake asked wincing at the thought of Lou's reaction.

"Here specifically, I don't know. She may have figured it out by now. I bet that she has Kyle on the way. I made a call to Fran earlier and I know that had to been tracked but that was when I was in Missouri. But in general, yeah I know they figured it out."

"So, what happened when you got back from Philadelphia?"

"I got a very loud and stern lecture about not following orders and going off and doing things on my own." Diane paused. "I would really like to not have to go through that again, but I know I will."

"Why don't you call her and then I let her know I'm here?"

Diane took a deep breath trying to get up her courage before dialing the number.

Sara answered the call. "Hello, its Diane."

The data tech immediately turned and signaled to her boss that she needed to pick up the line while mouthing the word "Diane."

Lou immediately walked into her office and closed the door before picking up the line. "Diane. Just what do you think you're doing? Did you not get a direct order that you were to stay here and that another time of you going AWOL would not be tolerated? I also know that you stole a vial of serum from the lab. Just one of these things can get you fired, if not in jail. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am crystal clear."

"Where are you and just what were you thinking?"

"I'm in Smallville, Kansas and this is why I'm here." Diane handed the phone over to Jake while mouthing "good luck".

"Hey Lou." Jake said in a pleasant tone.

"Jake?" Jake grinned at the sound of shock and surprise in her voice. It was the first time he had ever heard it. Lou was not the type to be caught off guard or to show if she was.

"Yes, ma'am."

"What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. Diane found me and her serum worked. I'm back to normal, for me."

"That's good to hear. I'll let Kyle know that Diane found you and your location so he can pick the two of you up."

"Okay, but Diane does have her car here."

"We'll take care of that as well."

"Lou, go a little easy on her, okay?"

"Let me talk to Diane again."

As Jake handed the phone back to Diane he saw that she looked at it as if it were a snake that was about to strike.

"Hello?"

"Good job." Diane smiled for a moment but then Lou's voice took a very firm tone and Diane's face stiffened. "I'll talk more with you later."

"Yes, ma'am."

"What did she say?"

"That we would talk more later."

"You'll make it."

Jake and Diane watched as the Kent family truck pulled into the driveway. "Hey Jake. Where's Clark? And who is this with you?

"Clark's inside with Chloe." Jake motioned to the house before turning toward Diane. "This is Diane, a very good friend of mine."

Martha extended her hand. "Very nice to meet you, Diane. I'm Martha Kent, Clark's mom. Are you going to be staying in Smallville a while?"

"No, ma'am. Our ride is going to be here soon."

"Oh well. Do you want to come inside until they get here?'

"That would be great Mrs. Kent."


	13. Chapter 13

Epilogue

A week later…

Diane nervously stood outside Jake's door. She could hardly believe the recent turn of events: Jake losing his memory and going missing and her disobeying orders and going after him on her own…twice. She had indeed survived returning and facing Lou. It had definitely not been pleasant but she was still intact, free, and employed. Now, on top of it all she was standing out in front of Jake's apartment. He had asked her yesterday if she would be free and wanted to come over for dinner. She of course said yes, but she tried not to answer too quickly.

Jake opened the door after what seemed like an eternity. She blushed a little as she said hi, trying to get over the butterflies in her stomach.

"You really look nice."

"Thanks."

Jake moved out of the doorway motioning her over the threshold. "Come on in."

Diane stepped inside the apartment and looked over at the small table that Jake had set up with what looked to be a slightly overcooked lasagna still in the aluminum pan it was cooked in and two candlesticks holders with two candles that were really too fat to fit, shoved down inside the holder so they wouldn't fall over. Diane smiled and tried hard not to let out a snicker at the sight.

"I –uh was going to try to do something nicer, but I really don't know anything about cooking." Jake stammered. "I even went onto the Food network website but I didn't even know what half of the stuff was that they listed as ingredients on there. So, I just went up to the store and bought lasagna. I hope that's okay."

"It's perfect. I love lasagna."

Jake smiled. "Great."

Diane smiled back at him seemingly entranced.

"Oh, but I did want to say something to you before we begin eating and I have cheese dripping all over my face."

Diane snickered at her mental picture of Jake. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything, but since I'm not really good with words I thought I would try this."

Diane watched as Jake walked over to his nearby stereo system and pressed played. Immediately, music began blaring out "I've got a keg in the closet." Diane watched as Jake's face turned several shades of red as he quickly began pushing buttons to try and get the song to stop.

"Uh, that's the wrong song." Jake said sheepishly. "And no I don't."

"Good" Diane was again trying not to laugh.

"Let's try again."

It seemed like Jake might have it right this time as a soft melody began to play.

_Every now and then  
I get a little lost  
The strings all get tangled  
The wires all get crossed  
Every now and then  
I'm right upon the edge  
Danglin' my toes out over the ledge  
I just thank God you're here_

'Cause when I'm a bullet shot out of a gun  
'Cause when I'm a firecracker comin' undone  
When I'm a fugitive ready to run  
All wild-eyed and crazy  
No matter where my reckless soul takes me  
Baby you save me  


Good things can come from bad experiences. Losing his memory and going rogue on the NSA and Diane actually worked out for Jake. He got to meet an incredible individual, a friend that helped him take off the blinders. Clark may have lost his chance at a relationship with Chloe, but his advice of not doing the same with Diane was going to pay off. She had saved him…again, now it was his turn to return the favor. He walked over to Diane and extended his hand, "May I have this dance?"

"Sure" Diane said, lifting herself out of her seat. Finally, Jake had noticed her.


End file.
